


Only Now Can I Sleep

by psychicdreamsandangelwings



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Fluff, I'm Bad At Tagging, M/M, Sleepiness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-11
Updated: 2015-01-11
Packaged: 2018-03-07 02:45:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3158297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/psychicdreamsandangelwings/pseuds/psychicdreamsandangelwings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Daryl falls asleep rocking Judith, and Rick's gotta admit he's one lucky man.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Only Now Can I Sleep

**Author's Note:**

> Just a simple idea that I've had for a while now.

Rick comes inside from doing a quick perimeter check absolutely exhausted, he doesn't remember ever being this tired. He can barely keep his eyes open, all he wants is to lay down and sleep for weeks, but right now he's got people to take care of. His family comes first, always, and if that meant he doesn’t get to sleep he’s okay with that.

He doesn't sleep much these days, too worried about making sure his family is safe and taken care of to even think about closing his eyes for a few minutes, let alone a few hours. There’s too much to be done, watches, food hunts, perimeter checks, there’s a never ending list of stuff that needs to be done, Rick can’t rest for even a few seconds. These days, anything can happen at a moment’s notice and he’d never forgive himself if something were to go wrong when he’s sleeping.

Right now Abraham and Michonne are on watch, and, even though Rick would be more than happy to join them, they insist on him going inside to lay down. Whether or not he actually sleeps is up to him but they aren't having none of him trying to take watch right now, something that he’s having a big problem with right now. 

He's the leader, it's his job to take care of everyone, and he can't help but want to dig his fingers into everything that’s going on. He can't afford to take a break, no matter how small it is. Rick tells himself he shouldn't worry, this house is practically a god send of safety, but he can’t help it. He worries, that's what he does. They haven’t found anything safer than this since the prison fell. It’s a large house, easily large enough for all of them to sleep in semi privacy, with a big fence surrounding the perimeter to keep out walkers.

Rick steps inside, careful not to wake anyone up. It’s late, well past midnight, and most everyone is asleep right now. He can clearly see Tyreese and Sasha passed out on separate couches, wrapped up in warm blankets. They look comfortable and Rick knows it’s probably the best sleep they've had in weeks, the last thing he wants is to disturb it.

He can see the door on the far side of the living room that leads to the bedroom everyone had claimed as his and Daryl’s. Rick’s fine sleeping on the floor, but nobody, not even Eugene, is having any of that. He and Daryl have been working themselves to near death trying to provide for this large group of people, and apparently they’re going to start insisting they take care of themselves because they damn near threw the room at the two of them.

Rick starts towards the door, figuring that’s where Daryl is, but then he sees him and he changes his direction. Daryl's passed out in a rocking chair situated in the corner of the living room, Judith sleeping peacefully cradled in his arms. There’s an empty baby bottle in Daryl’s hand, resting on Judith’s chest like they’d both fallen asleep while she was still sucking on it, and Rick’s never felt calmer in his life. _This is exactly what he fights for._

They are surrounded by nothing but death and destruction, and seeing his daughter in the arms of the man that keeps him going brings him hope. After everything they've suffered, after everybody they’ve lost, he's still got Carl, Judith, Daryl, and the rest of his group. Rick's lost more people in a year than he's lost in his entire life, but there's still a small group of survivors hanging onto the threads of life and that's what keeps him going when he wants nothing more than to call it quits. Knowing that he can still walk into a room and see the man he loves holding his baby girl is something that Rick can't begin explain. 

Rick walks over to the corner and watches the two sleeping figures for a few seconds before he makes his move. They look so peaceful like this, fast asleep together, and the last thing he wants right now is to wake them up. But he knows Daryl’s going to be hurting if he doesn't wake him up now and Rick doesn't want to be responsible for that pain.

“Hey,” Rick says softly, resting a hand on Daryl’s shoulder. “Daryl wake up.”

Daryl’s awake in a second, ready to fight if he needs to. His hand lands on the knife hooked to his jeans, you could never be too careful these days, and Rick can tell by the look in his eyes he'd do anything to protect himself and Judith right now. Daryl’s eyes are wide, roaming around the room as he tries to get his bearings, but he instantly relaxes when he catches sight of Rick.

“Was waitin’ for ya,” Daryl mumbles. "Wanna help, do my part."

His voice drips with sleep and Rick can tell he’s exhausted. He's not sure when the last time Daryl’s had a decent night’s sleep is, he’s usually the first one to volunteer for anything that needs doing. Daryl would have done the same thing today when they'd found this place, but Judith had been fussy earlier and the only person she wanted was Daryl. So while everyone got busy getting the house ready for the night, Daryl had been on baby duty. His plan was to rock her until she fell asleep and then come help out, but apparently his plan worked a little too well because he ended up dozing off right next to her.

“I know,” Rick says, stepping back so Daryl can stand up. “Come on.”

Rick helps guide Daryl to the empty room, their empty room. Judith is still fast asleep and Rick has to admit he’s grateful for that. It’s been a hard couple of days, all he wants right now is for Daryl and the rest of his people to get a good night’s sleep without having to worry about walkers, other people, or a crying baby keeping them awake through the night. Everyone deserved a peaceful night’s rest once in a while.

He ushers Daryl into the room and over to where a simple crib is set up. They’d found it in one of the back rooms while they were clearing the place. It’s nothing fancy, just a cheap old crib that's seen better days, but it's sturdy and safe, has a clean mattress and a comfortable looking blanket, and Rick’s just happy he doesn't have to put his baby in a box.

Daryl carefully settles Judith into the crib, making sure she’s safe and comfortable. He settles her new favorite toy beside her, runs a hand over her face softly, before he turns to Rick. “I should take watch or somethin',” Daryl says, even as his eyes blink closed. He’s so damn tired. "Do my part."

“Oh no,” Rick says, leading Daryl over to the queen sized bed. “You've done your part, now you get to relax. Michonne and Abraham have watch duty covered, they've made it clear we're supposed to do nothing but sleep.”

“We’re, as in you and me, not just me,” Daryl says, kicking off his boots before he slides into bed. He pulls Rick down next to him, getting him situated comfortably under the covers before he relaxes completely. “You haven’t slept in days, you need sleep jus' as much as I do.”

Rick’s already starting to doze off, eyes fluttering closed as he rests his head against Daryl's. The bed is warm and comfortable, he knows his people are safe, and he’s got Daryl pressed close against him, there’s nothing more he could ask for right now. “Neither have you.”

Daryl shrugs, shifting slightly next to him, but he doesn't talk again. They lay like that for a few seconds before Daryl scoots a little closer to him and Rick’s arms come up around him, pulling him against his chest. They settle like that, together, in comfortable silence.

“This is nice,” Daryl says, words so slurred that Rick can hardly understand what he’s even saying. “Comfortable.”

“Mhm,” Rick says, but Daryl’s already falling asleep. Soon enough the soft sounds of his snores start to lull Rick to sleep. It’s only now, when he knows that Daryl and Carl and Judith and everyone he loves is safe, that Rick feels he can finally sleep. And he does, curling against Daryl’s side as he passes out for the first time in days.

**Author's Note:**

> It was kind of rushed, I literally wrote this in less than thirty minutes, but hopefully it wasn't horrible. 
> 
> Let me know what you thought.


End file.
